OCI Solar Power has broken ground on its third Texas solar farm 125 miles west of San Antonio in Brackettville. The 39 MW Alamo 4 will produce power for approximately 6,000 homes in Greater San Antonio upon completion later in 2014 as part of a major economic and energy development deal with CPS Energy.
Alamo 4 will feature more than 150,000 solar panels and cover 600 acres of privately-owned land. The solar farm will use PV technology and solar equipment manufactured from OCI Solar Power’s Texas solar partners to generate power for CPS Energy, San Antonio’s municipal utility. Commercial operations are expected to begin by year’s end.
“Alamo 4 is our first Texas project outside of the Greater San Antonio area,” said OCI Solar Power President and CEO Tony Dorazio. “Our fast movement around the state is reflective of the renewable energy landscape in the U.S. It’s growing quickly.”
OCI Solar Power partnered with Mortenson Construction, based in Minneapolis, Minn., to construct Alamo 4 as well as OCI Solar Power’s remaining projects throughout Texas. Mortenson is joining OCI Solar Power and its consortium partners to create permanent jobs. Mortenson will establish a regional office in San Antonio, which is fast emerging as a U.S. renewable energy center.
“Our partnership with OCI is reaping more economic and job benefits than we initially forecast,” said Cris Eugster, executive vice president and chief generation and strategy officer with CPS Energy. “That is a tremendous advantage for our customers and job seekers here and across the Lone Star State.
The partners are bringing 400 MW of clean energy to Texas’s state grid. The solar deal will result in clean energy component manufacturing, 800 permanent jobs and an annual economic impact of $700 million to Greater San Antonio.
Last year, OCI Solar Power completed its 41-MW Alamo 1 project and began construction on a 4.4 MW site, Alamo 2. Both are located in San Antonio. Once complete in 2016, the overall 400-MW project will power 10 percent of San Antonio homes.
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| (Photo Credit: OCI) |